The invention pertains to devices for eliminating insect and rodent pests. More particularly, the invention relates to insect and rodent bait dispensers that are adaptable to a variety of bait formulation and that maintains such baits in a secure and tamper-proof environment.
Various techniques have been developed for eliminating insect and rodent pests. As the most efficient of these devices employ deadly poisons, it is of paramount importance that the poisons be protected from tampering by children and other unauthorized individuals. Further, as a single bait dispenser may be required to handle a wide variety of different insects and rodents, it is important that the dispenser be readily adaptable to dispense liquid and solid baits of various types and methods of preparation, i.e. solids, granules, powders, etc. This dispenser must be able to contain these baits without any danger of leakage to the environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,828 issued to Genero et aL is directed to an insect feeding station having a plurality of stacked feeding chambers that are progressively exposed as the bait is depleted. The insect feeding station has a housing with a transparent front wall and a rear wall. A large upper entrance chamber is provided and a partition structure that has a plurality of partitions defining feeding chambers. Each partition extends between the front and rear walls and is confined to define a shallow reservoir for containing a portion of toxic liquid. The station is mounted vertically in close proximity to a track that the insects travel.
Toxic liquid is introduced into the upper chamber to fill all of the reservoirs within the interior region.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,266,917 issued to Hight, is directed to a pest control system in the form of a decorative housing that can contain poisoned bait, a trap, or a combination. The pest control article has a housing that includes a decorative unit in the form of a planter mounted on top of a pedestal that contains the pest control devices. The devices can include mousetraps, glue traps, or a poison station with bait for rodents or insects. Unauthorized access to the device is hindered by use of a fastener. The fastener can receive a lock or a chain that can be secured to a building. Also, bolts can be used to secure the bottom to the supporting structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,966,863, issued to Payton et al. discloses a combined bait station for ants and rodents. The combined station has an inner container having a lid for containing liquid ant bait. An outer container formed by the walls contains a rodent bait compartment and adjacent passageways. The bait compartment includes a bait rod or rack on which pieces of solid rodent bait are hung. The cover has a hole and the front wall center portion has a hole that can have a stake passed through into the ground to secure the bait unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,658,536 issued to Baker discloses a rodent bait station. The bait station has a housing with a base and a cover. An inspection and access cap is provided on the top and a childproof tab is also provided. Ties can be strung through tie anchor slots on either side of the base and cover housing to maintain the station at its desired location. The interior of the bait station has two bait bins.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,042 issued to Issitt is directed to a tamper-resistant bait station for rats. The bait station has a lower housing and an upper lid, both molded from polypropylene. The lid includes transparent plates that allow inspection without opening the lid. The bait station has a feeding area with a piece of wire that is threaded through solid bait blocks, with the wire secured to two sets of slots. The bait station may receive several baits in the feeding area or if loose grain poisoned bait is used, the box is secured to the floor so that the bait cannot possibly be shaken out of the box. There are difficult-to-open locks provided between the lid and the housing. A key is provided to facilitate opening the lid.
While other variations exist, the above-described designs for insect and rodent bait dispensers are typical of those encountered in the prior art. It is an objective of the present invention to provide a tamper-proof container for insect and rodent baits. It is a further objective to provide a bait dispenser adaptable for use with a variety of liquid, granular and solid baits for both rodents and insects. It is a still further objective of the invention to provide a bait dispenser that will require the insects or rodents to follow a convoluted path to the bait to prevent unwanted removal of dead insects or rodents. It is yet a further objective to provide the above described capabilities in an inexpensive and durable dispenser that is capable of extended duty cycles and that may be easily repaired and maintained.
While some of the objectives of the present invention are disclosed in the prior art, none of the inventions found include all of the requirements identified.
The present invention addresses all of the deficiencies of insect and rodent bait dispensing inventions and satisfies all of the objectives described above. An insect and rodent bait dispenser providing the desired features may be constructed from the following components. At least one receptacle is provided. The receptacle has a bottom surface and a wall of a first predetermined height surrounding the bottom surface. A vertical element is provided. The vertical element has an upper end and a lower end and is secured at the lower end to the bottom surface. The vertical element extends upwardly from the bottom surface for a first predetermined distance. The vertical element has a first central orifice. The first orifice extends from the upper end toward the lower end and is sized and shaped to fit frictionally about a vertical shaft.
An enclosure is provided. The enclosure is sized and shaped to surround the receptacle. The enclosure can be opened for replenishment of bait and has a closure means incapable of being opened by small children or animals. The enclosure includes at least one passageway leading from an outer surface of the enclosure to the receptacle. The passageway is sized and shaped to permit entry by rodents or insects while preventing a child or domestic animal from reaching the bait.
In a variant of the invention, the insect and rodent bait dispenser includes a vertical shaft. The vertical shaft has a predetermined cross-section, is removably attached to the vertical element and extends upwardly from the vertical element for a second predetermined distance.
In another variant the insect and rodent bait dispenser includes a plurality of blocks of solid poison bait. Each of the blocks is of lateral dimensions and a configuration to fit within the receptacle. Each block has an axial orifice for the block to be located on and slide down the shaft. When rodents or insects consume the lowermost block on the shaft, the blocks above the consumed block, slide down the shaft to locate the lowermost block in the receptacle as a replacement for the consumed block.
In still another variant, at least one bait tray is provided. The bait tray has an upper surface, a lower surface, a second orifice extending from the upper surface to the lower surface, at least one cavity located in the upper surface and means for maintaining a space between the upper surface and a lower surface of a second bait tray located above the bait tray. The second orifice is sized and shaped to fit slidably about the vertical shaft such that a plurality of the bait trays will stack on the vertical shaft. When different varieties of solid, liquid or granular bait are located within the cavities of the trays, each variety of bait will be simultaneously accessible.
In a further variant of the invention, the means for maintaining a space between adjacent stacked bait trays includes a least one planar surface. The planar surface is located upon the lower surface of the bait tray. At least one spacing member is provided. The spacing member projects upwardly from the upper surface of the bait tray and is located so as to bear upon the planar surface of an adjacent stacked bait tray causing an upper bait tray to be spaced above a lower bait tray for a third predetermined distance. When the adjacent stacked bait trays are so spaced vertically, access to each of the trays will be enhanced.
In still a further variant, a plurality of blocks of solid poison bait is provided. Each of the blocks is of lateral dimensions and a configuration to fit within the receptacle. Each block has an axial orifice for the block to be located on and slide down the shaft. The blocks of solid poison bait are located upon the shaft either above or below the bait trays. When the blocks of solid poison bait are consumed, either the bait trays or the blocks of solid poison bait will slide downwardly on the shaft.
In yet a further variant of the invention, the insect and rodent bait dispenser includes an inverted bottle containing liquid poison bait. The bottle has a neck terminating in a flanged opening. Means are provided to support the bottle in inverted position with its opening directed down into the receptacle. A cap for the bottle is provided. The cap is formed of a stretchable material and includes an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder of lesser diameter than the diameter of the outer cylinder to provide a space between the cylinders.
The cylinders are co-axial, and one end of both cylinders terminates in a unitary transverse member. The transverse member has a central orifice of the same configuration and dimension as the vertical element to enable the vertical element to be passed through the central orifice. At least one secondary orifice is provided. The secondary orifice extends axially through the transverse member in communication with the space between the cylinders and is spaced from the central orifice. Another end of the inner cylinder not terminating in the unitary transverse member terminates in a second transverse member of greater diameter than the diameter of the inner cylinder and, in unstretched condition, abutting the flanged opening of the bottle, thereby to close the opening.
When the capped bottle is pressed downwardly onto the vertical element, the inner cylinder is stretched to lift the second transverse member from the flanged opening of the bottle, thereby permitting the fluid bait to pass between the inner and outer cylinders and through the at least one secondary orifice in the unitary transverse member and into the receptacle until the liquid in the receptacle reaches a predetermined level. As the liquid is removed from the receptacle it will be automatically replenished from the inverted bottle so long as liquid remains in the bottle.
In another variant, each receptacle is interchangeably usable for solid, granular or liquid bait by selectively attaching either the vertical shaft with either of solid and tray mounted bait or the inverted liquid bait bottle.
In a final variant of the invention, the insect and rodent bait dispenser includes means for removably attaching the enclosure to a surface.